Believe in ME, MYSELF & I !

Do you remember when you last ran in the rain? Do you still recall how you felt when this precious gift from the sky touches your skin, got you all drenched that you stopped caring about your clothes, not forgetting your beloved running shoes and continued running for another mile? I do! Ran in the rain last Saturday morning instead of hurrying to my car to keep myself dry. I’m glad that I did!. Gosh.. words just can never describe the sheer pleasure of having the wind in my hair, rain on my face instead of my usual self sweating profusely .. I felt so free. So peaceful I felt at ease, not really isolated but it’s alone. You just feel like you’re one with everything behind you, more so than with people all around. I remember this feeling. A feeling that I thought I’ve lost and have long hungered for. It was the same feeling I felt whenever I sprinted 300 metres back home from school to tell my mom about my exam results.. the day I rushed 800 metres home after my first date with my boyfriend who is now my darling spouse(I sneaked out of the house that night and had to be home before my parents realize I was missing hehee).. when I ran 3 kilometres all teary eyed, with all my might for the chance to say my final goodbye to my late grandmother, to whom I was very close to.. and the day I dashed 250 metres to call up my husband to tell him I was “late” for the very 1st time.. Yes, running has been a part of my life for as long as I could remember.. but I never really took running seriously.

To be honest.. ever since I was little.. somewhere deep in my heart & soul.. I’ve had always known that I CAN RUN! I just never really listened to myself .. but worst of all.. I didn't believe in ME enough to give myself a chance at it. Running was certainly different from gymnastics that I had opted for instead. If my memory served me correctly I only joined gymnastics after failing to qualify for the running team back in primary school. I never looked back since. Gymnastics to me was a room for expression.. feelings & emotions through bodily movements.. such gracefulness without having to dance. However, I had to quit gymnastics due to injury.. I fractured my coccyx & couldn’t sit on any surface without a cushion for 3 years, let alone land on my tushie again.. hence I was always excused from PE(physical education).. lazed around in the school field til class was over. Guess that’s when I started oogling over sprinters in school. Nope not at their physique(well maybe once, twice or thrice.. hehee) but more over the satisfaction on their faces upon completing each and every one of their training.. which to me was very similar to when a gymnast performs. It’s a time to shine as an individual! How my calves & thighs had kept yearning to join my sprinter friends.. I could hear myself screaming.. “Run..Lavin!” It just wasn’t enough.

Quitting gymnastics has helped me gain 13 kgs.. was very ‘cute’ in secondary school.. Cute as in ugly but adorable.. I didn’t dread it much as I could finally eat whatever and whenever I want.. junk food mostly and of course loadsssssssss of ice cream which I can never say no to. I’d have 3 VERY GENEROUS scoops the VERY LEAST to myself.. or finish a whole tub over a movie alone! Cakes... don’t get me started on that hahaaa.. seriously bad sweet tooth. In spite of looking in the mirror every morning telling myself I’m ginormous.. I pig out everyday and promise myself I’d exercise the next day that very night, which of course never materialized. I no longer have to worry if I’d look bloated or flabby in a leotard.. that itself was a huge relieve!

Then came my knight in shining armour.. heheee. Though I only saw him from a distance but I somehow knew he was the one. I guess I shared one of the many reasons why women out there would want to lose weight - to get the man of their dreams! I started dieting.. it wasn’t that hard for me. I’ve tried everything.. from the Atkins diet to those celebrities religiously follow-Giselle Bunchen; Cayenne Pepper, Renee Zellweger; Caffein loads, etc) even tried becoming a vegetarian but that was the worst choice I made hahaa.. to me that is.. as I could never resist Indian vegetarian food & the ones that I like are rich in carbs.. Try out Saravana Bhavan in Bangsar.. you’ll get what I mean. I don’t see myself having to eat all my meals with cayenne pepper my whole life and I certainly can never give up on my chicken and mutton varuvals.. salivating just talking about it.. arghhh my durians.. I want to eat whatever I want and still look good! I turned to my aunt who gave away her secret.. Invest in a dress, the size I want to be noticed in. Nowadays.. lingeries for me.. hahaa. That's always my 1st step. You see.. that dress or lingerie helps me set my goals to lose weight & of course to dress to impress, set my other half’s tongue wagging! I was still young then & my metabolism was still high. I ate moderately, cut down on my rice intake, stopped eating after 6 p.m and started brisk walking for 45 minutes everyday without fail. I kept trying out the dress I bought almost everyday just to see how much I’ve progressed to decide on the intensity of my future workouts. It worked! I caught the attention of my Tom Cruise. On our 1st date.. I showed him a picture of me on my driving license taken 2 weeks before he had asked me out.. to my surprise he wasn’t shocked at all. He just smiled & said “I would have loved you anyway”. Yeah right?

The love of my life has a penchant for good food! Loves trying out new restaurants which resulted in me having a longer list of food I simply can’t live without.. “Life is short.. why put restrictions to your appetite! Eat while you still can or you’ll feel sorry when you no longer can.. We can always exercise!” He’s so right! I started eating moderately and exercise away the amount of calories I want to burn off in order to sinfully indulge in what I wish to eat next.. I plan all my meals! Never eat whenever you’re dead hungry or upset.. that’s when you lose control & pig out. I succeeded in maintaining my desired weight for years but it all went haywire whenever I got pregnant. I couldn’t exercise.. I tend to suffocate easily even when I climb upstairs to get to bed. How I kept admiring preggers on the cross-trainers at the gym these days. I could only keep myself active by bowling. Yes bowling with the houseball of course as my fingers could no longer fit my own.. 6 games almost every night, 3 times a week at least up to the day before I delivered. Not recommending this to all pregnant ladies out there though! I should have listened to my mother. She told me to EAT FOR ONE.. not for two.. simply meaning don’t overeat. I last ballooned up an extra 32 kgs to be exact..(baby’s weight was 2.7kg) I kept cheating about my weight during my monthly check up with the gynae. Sure I was terrified about contracting gestational or pregnancy induced diabetes but only when I go for my check up.. heheee. Whenever I look back at my photos taken during pregnancies.. I don’t know how my husband put up with my gigantic self and still tells me I’m beautiful..

Whenever I’m 3 months to my due date.. I’d go shopping.. Yes, in search of a lingerie to invest upon heheee.. seriously.. it works! A treat for my dearest husband’s undying tolerance & patience for the past 10 months(+1month of confinement). Got me really determined to get back into shape fast. You see.. you can’t hide your flabby self & spare tyres in a lingerie. A dress helps to hide your imperfections but a lingerie flaunts it all. I lost weight very fast thanks to the shopping malls in Malaysia. I always take the baby out on the stroller immediately after confinement, spend hours walking in the shopping malls.. and only stop at the babyroom whenever I needed to. I shed the excess weight.. but the last 5 kgs was fu*&** stubborn! My body was not toned enough.. the parts that I wanted to tone down that is.. At last I decided to get myself a fitness trainer. I felt I needed to learn the right way to exercise, the right muscles to target, the right exercise machine to spend more time with.. etc. I’m glad that I did! Michael Samuel! Many many many thanks.. to this trainer & now friend of mine who has taught me how to love my body again. I will never forget the day he taught me how to run on the treadmill. I never knew that there was a ‘right’way to run.. no wonder I never lasted more than 10 mins. Thank you Mike for you have helped me reignite my true passion. That very day I ran for 30 mins about 3.4 km. I loved the fact that sweat actually dripped all over my body & that it has helped me maintain my weight. Haven’t felt that in ages. From then on I go to the gym almost every day & spend 30 mins on the treadmill. I was all addicted to speed. Mike suggested running outdoors in the morning but I just can’t keep myself awake that early after shutting off the alarm. One day he asked me to join him in the evening.. so I went. I realized the huge difference! No air-cond! Couldn’t even last 2 km.. panting & suffocating all the way. Sheeshh.. felt like an old lady! He was only following my pace all the time. He kept telling me to get myself a good pair of running shoe. I hesitated at first, well running shoes are not cheap you know and I just bought my multicourt Adidas which I felt was good enough to run with.. but I took his advise & got one.. my Adidas Ozweego. The day I tried it out on the treadmill I literally flew.. effortlessly. These days I’m spending more on running shoes & attire more than I buy casual clothes.. hahaa. Mike was always there motivating me all the way.. Thank you Mike for believing in ME! For this has helped me believe in myself and look how the power of self believe has changed me.



To my friend Cheryl, who believes that behind every avid woman runner, there is supportive family, I would like to also add.. very very supportive friends who are always there motivating each other to SHINE! My sifus.. Steven, Raymond, Lim, Anziariq & Fun.. all of you are such inspiration to me. I consider myself very lucky to have found my inspirations. Sometimes all it takes is the ability to find inspiration in others. Thank you for your guidance and endless support & motivation. Thank you Steven for pushing me to my limits & helping me believe that I can always perform better! Thank you Riq for you have taken my running to the next level! Thank you Kota Kemuning Pacers. Your words of encouragement comes to mind & keeps ringing in my ears for the last 2km of every event I’ve participated in.. a time when I normally turn into my worst enemy.

To my Baby, I know you’re not good with words, not the expressive type but I’m honestly thankful for your understanding, tolerance and undying patience. Your willingness to invest in my passion without hesitating on whether its just a phase, motivates me to improve myself in time. Though it might first seemed to me that you weren’t as excited or supportive as I’d like you to be towards my passion for running.. but I sense just how proud you are of me when you talk about my runs to your friends.. I love you! You and our kids are the reason I have changed. I’ve more to learn about true dedication, determination and strength of character and hope someday our princesses could look up to me as a good role model.

I don’t want to be the best.. I just want to run my best.. I’ve only started running for 3 months now.. how I wish I had started earlier and not put it on hold for the last 25 years of living. I have now vowed to keep on running even with dentures.. and to walk only once I cross the finishing line.

DO CHEER MY NAME! Lavin

Transfiguration of a ticket : a passion and an addiction

“I'll be going for a run this evening.” he said while I was getting ready to go to work. My heart start to race, a BIG and constant question come bugging me – will he ask me to run? Oh, please don't. It's tiring. Please just let it stop there. (This symptom is called 'Self-inflicted Pressure' – nobody force me!)

Sometime, in the evening, I saw him changed into his running attire from the corner of my eyes, I quickly make myself busy with house chores. This is to 'avoid' being 'invited' to join him for a run. Well, inactivity has made me sluggish, hagged and always feeling tired and lazy.

Even though I do run with him on and off but the interval is far far apart. I dread too much physical activities and the only marathon I do is 'Shopping Marathon'. Why run? So hot, so sweaty, so tiring? Though at times, I initiate a jog – when I needed to burn some fats. Running is just for the purpose of slimming down.

In the course of our differences in viewing running all these years, we share something common – that we wanted to go backpacking when our kids are grown, when we retired. So, he will sometimes comment that if that is the purpose, we have to make sure we are physically fit and healthy. So, he is not sure if I'm up to it by then? (Such conversation repeat many times, and always left me thinking)

Ugh ugh! I'm not going to sit at home and 'watch' him go backpacking through the most exotic places in the world! So, like it or not, I better get fit or get left behind......

Finally, came October 2008, I 'woke up' from my 'slumber land' and started to jog in front of our house (see, I actually have the luxury of a small padang, a complete round of about 250-300meters right in front of my house that all this while I intentionally ignore) Best record 10 rounds! I must admit, it is so so difficult to break that record. Sometimes, I just feel like running right into the house and that's it for the day. Weak mind, not much determination then.

One day, he asked me if I'd like to try out a race, only 7km? Huh? Kidding me, 7km, so long, how to run? But then, I don't know why, I said yes and registered. So I started some form of training, with loads of butterflies and bees and all sorts of bugs in my stomach!

Then, just a week before the race day, I was down with dengue hemorrhagic fever and hospitalised. What a first timer luck? Darn, I was actually upset that I cannot make it to my first ever race (Shhh, don't tell anyone – I lost my temper and tantrums the day before the race and got mad with everyone!) I cried. Can you imagine that?

It's okay, babe! My next 'first race' was Mizuno Wave Run! I did it! I completed the whole 10km in 1 hr 32 minutes! I got a medal! Yeay! Well done, well done! Ecstatic is just too vague to describe my feeling the moment I stepped onto the finishing line.

My feet didn't stop running ever since. Then it was Malakof 12 km, POAWP 6km cross country, KL City Day Run, Wild Wild Run, Larian Amal Sri Sinar, and the list goes on and on. The longest distance being New Balance 15km race recently.

I now have, within reach, some 'medals' that I hold extremely dear to me:

Healthier, fitter, fresher!
A common direction with “The Man” who brought me here

Blossoming friendship of our running community
A passion – 11 races within 6 months, more to come
A ticket to experience the world's most exotic places
An ice-cream box of medals which is accumulating

There is a saying : Behind every successful man, there is a woman. For me, It is “Behind every avid women runner, there are very very supportive family”, Therefore, my medals are for :

The Man himself, Steven, my hubby, my motivator (I hope to make him my 'rabbit' instead, next year, if I'm able, haha, FAT HOPE!)
My daughter – Shaunie, whom I made 'baby sitter' over her little brother and happily doing it
My son – Jeremy, the big baby who runs only his fingers on keyboards, who has his father's running genes, awaiting to be 'exploded.

I made ONE and ONLY resolution this year : “I will run as many races as possible beginning 1-1-2009! “ Looks like I have some minor amendment to my resolution : “and train for a half marathon by year 2010!”

Baru realised :

Backpacking or no backpacking, it's secondary now. All that matters is a passion fast brewing and an addiction that spread like a wild fire.

I'll keep on running ...

Someone must be wondering what is so special about running until I put this hobby as part of my lifestyle. Someone must be wondering why I’m so addicted to it until I look so skinny compared to what I used to be three years ago. If you are one of that ‘someone’, I believe you’ve never run or ever been seriously running before. But that’s OK. I wrote this running story not only to share it with my fellow runners, but also with those who are not runners so that we can ‘understand’ each other.

What I meant by ‘understand’ is for those who are not into running, who find that runners are odd, weird and different, especially in my community (family members, colleagues and neighbors) where most them don’t practice a healthy lifestyle or any physical activities. They may think that running is such an activity that only elite athletes are able to do it. They may think that it doesn’t matter how far and fast the normal people can run, we will not be able to grab the top spots in any competitions anyway. So they may think why run when they can have a healthy body by taking up futsal or badminton or even walking.

That is why running is not a sport that can easily attract people to join by just watching, let alone reading. By the way, at the end of this already bored story, I don’t expect my fellow colleagues and neighbors to just grab their running shoes and start running immediately. That is why I believe, to understand running, they must experience it by themselves. The most important to start running is they must have something miraculous to trigger in their minds.

Anyway, running must have started somewhere & sometime in my life before. If my memory serves me right, I started running when I was 16 years old. I used to run every late afternoon from my school at Alor Akar, Kuantan to Telok Cempedak beach and back. That’s approximately a 6km route as the first running route of my life. I ran for only about one year or so and stopped just before my SPM examination. That was nearly 14 years ago when I ran for nothing but for the fun to just get away from my hostel. I ran just to enjoy the beautiful white sandy beach and breezing winds over my face at the half way mark.

After a long break, I started running again when I was studying at a local university in 1997. I used to run around my hostel in loops of 1km. It was really weird for me because I was the only student who runs every other late afternoon, round and round the same pedestrian path where others just watch me past by in countless laps. I stopped my run when my favorite route was no more easily accessible, when I had to rent a house outside campus. But that was not the real reason why I had stopped running. I believe it was because I was running blank. I was not running for any purpose. That why I kept running on and off.

The bad thing about me when I stop running the last time was I started smoking. Being around with my family members, friends and colleagues where most of them are smokers really helped getting me involve in this bad habit. I still remember one day when I had asked for a cigarette from one of my friends without noticing that he had only the last one left. Yet he still insisted to give me with a quote, “what’s a friend for?”. But I cannot blame them isn’t it? It all starts with me. I had wasted approximately 10 years of my life as a slave to cigarettes. Actually I started smoking when I was 15! But of course it was on and off then. If I had carried on this bad habit for another 10 years, you would not be able to read this crap. I’m glad that I’ve managed to put the habit behind me since 6 years’ ago.

I stop my running for a very long time until I started again recently. Well, after almost 10 years of resting, wasting my life as a heavy smoker at one point, build-up huge amounts of fat in my body due to bad eating habits and getting sick. As a result, I occasionally had very bad migraine, my blood pressure was bloody high and my weight was almost 80kg. For a man whose height is only 1.67m, that’s OVERWEIGHT.

Back to my running episode. It had to start somewhere again and sometime right? It began around early October 2007 when all the Muslims were preparing for Hari Raya. Unfortunately for me, I had a really bad high fever just three days before. I was lying hopelessly in bed, barely able to move my body, thinking what’s wrong with me and why I’m having this problem that I’ve never experienced before. I told myself that it must be probably due to my unhealthy lifestyle. I told to myself then, “This is it! It’s enough! If I ever come out of this condition alive, I want to be as healthy as I can be”. Then a day before Hari Raya, I found out I was actually having chicken pox! Quite a surprise since I was already almost 29 years’ old but my Mom confirmed that I’ve never had it before. Now I know why I feel such a huge pain inside my body until I cannot even stand up and walk. But anyway, I’ve made up my mind to change my lifestyle after I recovered. So I must continue ...

About a week after that, I bought a cheap Adidas running shoe with only one thing on my mind … to start running again and forever. I still remember the day I started my run. I could barely finish the short route around my housing area. I had to stop and walk for a few meters even before the first kilometer mark. It was really hard to maintain even a very slow pace during that early days of running.
But now, I’m changed! I’ve lost almost 20 kilos since I started running again. I’ve never been as healthy as I am today and I feel so blessed for what I have today. I watch my diet proper as I monitor my training as well. Oh, by the way, I’m almost at the end of my training for the first ever full marathon of my life. I can’t believe I will at the starting line of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009 in less than a month. With the help and support from my beloved family and friends from Kota Kemuning Pacers, I believe I will cross the finish line.

A lot of things have happened since the first day of my run. I hit the wall, I felt pain, I injured my knee, I torn my calve muscle, I was sidelined for awhile but after all that, I still LOVE running. As long as I can breath, stand and move my legs, I will keep on running …

By the way, you can check on my training progress at http://www.buckeyeoutdoors.com/cgi-bin/training/traininglog?guest=Riq

I hated running ... yuck, yuck, yucks!!!

I hated running. T’was an utter aversion, maybe I can call it a phobia. The only running I ever enjoyed was when I played sports like netball, squash or even futsal. Other than that, if I need not run a single kilometer, I will gloriously be the happiest person on earth.

Unlike my dear old hubby, I was never athletic in school nor after. A matter of fact, I was that ‘fatty fatty bum bum’ during my school days. My likeliest choice of activity was shopping at the malls. Walk, walk, walk ...shop, shop, shop … doesn’t that sound more fun than running? I used to think so and I still do, mind you!

Unfortunately, my aging body and family history forbids that I rest comfortably on my buns. I am 45 and was diagnosed a diabetic 2 years back. My late Dad had it, my late Mom doesn’t … arghhh! … why couldn’t I have my Mom’s genes instead. At a ripe old age of 75, she could still afford to have a hot Milo added luxuriously with loads of sugar and condensed milk! A tiny sip of it could even cause a toothache. To make the situation worst, I was also tested with high cholesterol.

Too bad. Life has to move on. Like it or not, got to live with this dreaded dysfunction … forego almost all my favourite food, ‘nasi lemak’, ‘mee-hoon-kueh’, ‘hokkien mee’, ‘lontong’, ‘cheese cake’, ‘Häagen-Dazs’ … slurpppppp!!! I was like expected to acquire a blend taste to almost everything I eat.
Geez, what a boring life!

The initial stage was hard. Number one, no rice (I decided to cut-off the recommended brown rice too). How to eat curry without the rice??? Somemore, no rice = no energy. I was practically on a high protein diet of fish and chicken only which frankly, helps a lot to reduce my weight. I had to be careful with fruits and veggies as they contain fructose.

I was fortunate that my dear old hubby joined me in my new dietary quests. It was fun coz we both managed to lose weight together.

Controlling my diet is not sufficient to keep my sugar-level and high-cholesterol under-check. I need to increase my physical activities too. So my dear old hubby encouraged that I start running every other day around the neighbourhood and at the gym. I used to anticipate with much dread each time I have to go running. I even look for excuses not to. At the beginning, I could only managed a slow 1 kilometre in 30 minutes but at each successful completion, I must admit I felt so jubilant. Gradually, with time, I could run a little further and further and further. I was so proud of myself when at one point, I could even hit 10 kilometres on the treadmill.

Since my last medical, my diabetes and high cholesterol are now listed as under ‘satisfactory control’. I had resisted my doctor’s advice on any sort of medication at the beginning and I’m still not on any now. I am determined to balance my health holistically.

I don’t hate running anymore but I still don’t like running. However, I want to becoz I know it’s good for me, for the sake of my longevity. You see, I look forward to growing old with my dear old hubby and lived to see my 18-year-old son married with a family of his own.

Nowadays, I find running alot more bearable (quite often, enjoyable too), since I’ve found a group of running friends at Kota Kemuning Pacers Club.

Wenny Yap

I'm all pumped up about running ...

I’m definitely all pumped up about running. My goal’s to maintain my fitness and lend my support to others who are keen to improve their fitness too.

I’m 46 this year and have been tagging along that one most important woman in my life, ‘Dear Wifey’ for like ages … OMG!!! It’s been 25 years now! To my ‘Dear Wifey’, thanks for putting up with me and all my nonsense. I’m sure this running ‘thingy’ is definitely no nonsense since I’ve got your full support. We sure rock, motivating each other for health’s benefits. I’ve a 18-year-old son (don’t ask “Why one only?” coz it’s a long long story) and I’m glad he’s into all this fitness ‘thingy’ too.

I grew up playing sports, some of which have turned into a lifetime sport such as running, swimming, cycling and weight-training. I’m still very much the outdoor freak. I would love to go fishing, hiking, mountain climbing and participate in trialthlons but it’s just not so since I can’t find that much spare time for myself. I’m still a ‘tah-koong’ guy … need to eke-out a living … so 8 hours of the day is totally out! Not forgetting the travelling time and the traffic jams put in.

More than 4 years ago, after I’d developed poor eating habits, I weighed more than 80kgs (I ballooned to 85kgs to be exact). With work demands and an increased sedentary lifestyle, my eating habits added more than 10” to my waistline. When my blood pressure refused to go down after each visit to the doctor, I was jolted into reality … “I’m in deep trouble, with a capital T!”

I return to running (my greatest passion) in 2005. I started round the Kota Kemuning Lake and could barely complete half the distance. But the anticipated trouble with a capital T nudged me on. Motivation can definitely be a struggle for many but not for me. I was committed to regain my health and fitness, not only for myself but for my ‘Dear Wifey’ and son. I owe it to them to grow to a ripe old age, to be there whenever they need me.

I kept up my physical activities and increase both my running mileage and pace. I kept a well-balance diet and cut out all those fatty and carbo-food. “Input = Output” is best! In time, I was already buying new clothes as I’ve started to ‘drown’ in my current ones. I’ve lost more than 10kgs since and my waistline reduced to 30 inches. The next best news is that my hypertension is now a thing of the past.

My weight has since hit a plateau but my main objective now is to maintain it by eating right and exercising regularly but not excessively. I would certainly like to enjoy all my physical activities, especially my running while not forgetting to enjoy life with my family, my utmost priority. I’m just so grateful that I’m lucky enough to have my whole family involved in the same fitness ‘thingy’.

Running is a sure way to staying FIT & HEALTHY!
Just remember, maintain MODERATION.

Raymond Chong

I fall in love with running again, again and again.......

I am passionate about running and has been running since my childhood days. I used to be a regular face at Bukit China, Melaka. At that time, no such thing as “Marathon”. Just running for fun. No goal, No Target.

My first time running a race was in my 1st year in varsity. 8km from Kajang to UKM campus. Sounds “kacang”. But after 2km, “Punctured”. Why? Started with a 100M dash! But managed to finished 8th. Not too bad.

Seeing my ability, my friends introduced me to “MARATHON”. OK OK, lets give it a try. First race, Penang International Marathon. 42km. No joke! Result was -6 hours of gruesome torture. This experience was the wake up call to “what is running all about?” It really helps you to understand your own body’s limit.

Later, being in the working world. I started to race with “The Rats” and guess what? I developed a double chin and one big pack on my belly. Always feels heavy and sluggish. One day, a lady colleague trashed me 9-0 in a squash game.

Honeymoon years over. Enough! Enough! Started training again. Met a few “kaki-lari ” friends and never stop ever since. Ran 16 races a year, and a few triathlon races to my record. Got very fit and sporty. This meteoric comeback won’t be easy if I did not experience a marathon before.

Now, at 45, just woke up from a little nap. I slowed down again few years back due to lack of running friends. Thanks to my running pal Ray. With his companionship, I started to race again.

Knowing how important friends are in preserving the “running fire”, we mooted the idea of setting up a run club in Kota Kemuning. With the support and active participation from our wives, we started to blog about running, plan running activities and encourage newbies to take up running. Now we could see more and more runners in our Kota Kemuning Pacers Club.

One advice to running people out there. NEVER STOP RUNNING. Only slow down if time doesn’t permit but don’t stop completely. Once you stop, you need lots of will power to get back to where you were before.

And…..

When running, I put up a smiling face to everyone that I come across. I greet them with a sincere heart. I observe my surroundings. I enjoy my sweat and feel my energy. With all this feeling in harmony, I hope to be able to run a long,long,long……. Way.

HAPPY RUNNING.

Steven Ng

Ways to Save Money and Stay Fit

It was not too long ago that obesity was not the raging universal health problem that it is today - partly because we all used to have more physical activity in our lives.

To help curb this problem, what if we stopped thinking so much about "starting an exercise program," and concentrated more on increasing our physical activity, moving more throughout the day? Undoubtedly, we would see results like weight loss and a decrease in illnesses. So let’s consider simple ways to become less sedentary.

1. Here’s an easy one: use the stairs. I know you have heard this before but sometimes a simple reminder is all you need to take an action. Whenever you have the choice, walk up and down stairs – it’s a simple way to get where you are already going, and in the process log some great calorie burning, muscle strengthening miles in your week.

2. Walk your dog, and your kids, at least once, preferably twice, a day. We condition our kids and our animals to behave as we do, so if we don’t exercise them regularly, they become sedentary, and out of shape, just like us.

3. Walk to the market, or the post box, or a nearby restaurant for your meals. Imagine the gas you’ll save, not to mention how much healthier you’ll become by leaving the car at home whenever possible.

4. Walk to school or walk your kids to school, or park a few blocks away from any destination (a movie, a restaurant, your work). Parking just 3 blocks away (6 blocks round trip) from your intended destination, just a few times a week, will very simply increase your activity level. And since you are already going there, it’s kind of the perfect plan.

5. Take the initiative to plan activity time, versus sitting around time, with your friends and family. Take a hike, or a walk on the beach, or walk through and discover a new neighborhood – then you can sit down for coffee or a meal.

6. Keep comfortable shoes at the office and enlist your work friends to join you for a break-time walk-about. This is such a good way to reduce work anxiety and mingle/bond with associates.

These may seem obvious, but if you're not doing them, well, maybe doing what’s obvious isn’t such a bad idea.

Peace and Happy Trails –
Debbie Rocker